


The Speeches

by Wackadaisicl



Series: Messy Proposals [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Nines, Asshole the cat is an asshole, Detroit Evolution, Emotions, Fluff, Gavin Reed Not Being an Asshole, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Not Beta Read, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:14:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24237880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wackadaisicl/pseuds/Wackadaisicl
Summary: They decide to head back to their apartment to give their speeches. Gavin has anxiety, the universe has it out for them, and emotions ensue.~Takes place after my other fic Not Quite As Planned~
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Series: Messy Proposals [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1749418
Comments: 5
Kudos: 68





	The Speeches

**Author's Note:**

> Yay, I finally finished this!! Writing proposal speeches is hard. I’m still not satisfied with Nines’ speech but I think Gavin’s is good. This isn’t beta read but frankly I’m kinda proud of this so I hope you enjoy! Also, this is a sequel to Not Quite As Planned but can be read on it’s own with only slight confusion.

After the disaster of a proposal, they decided to go back to their apartment to give their speeches. It was late and they were both tired, ready to be in the comfort of their own home as they declared their love for one another. Just the thought made Gavin grimace subtly.

As they shuffled into their shared apartment and placed their coats on a hanging coat rack by the door, Gavin could feel an almost floaty feeling rise in his chest and his limbs go somewhat numb. He had been adamant on Nines hearing the speech he put so much time into writing but now that that was actually about to happen he wasn’t so sure. He wasn’t nearly as literate as Nines and could only write a little bit at a time during the rare, short periods of time his boyfriend, now fiancé, wasn’t with him.

He quickly scurried to the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, hoping to calm his nerves. Nines following close behind.

“So, who’s going first?” Nines asked as Gavin grabbed a cup from a cabinet and filled it with tap water.

He hesitated. He really didn’t want to go first but he figured maybe it’d be better to just get it over with.

“I think you owe it to me to let me go first, don’t you?” He tried for a playful tone to mask his anxiety but when he turned to face Nines he could tell by his partner’s face it hadn’t worked.

“Alright then, go ahead” Nines smiled in the way he always did when reassuring Gavin. Goddamn android knew him too well and he wasn’t sure whether he hated or loved it.

He took a long sip of water to buy a bit of time while he focused on his breathing. In and out. He set the glass on the counter before moving to the living room where Nines was patiently waiting.

“Uhm…” He wasn’t quite sure how to go about this, the whole thing just felt weird. He felt like the moment had passed at that point, they were technically already engaged.

He awkwardly moved down to one knee before realizing the ring was still in his coat pocket. 

“Shit!” His face burned as he ran to his coat and back to Nines, getting on his knee again. 

Well, this was already a disaster. Again. He didn’t think it couldn’t get much worse, though. It’s not like Nines would say ‘no’.

“Right, so uh-“

“Yes!”

“What?” He looked up to see Nines smiling devilishly.

“I said, ‘yes’!”

“But I didn’t even- we already- huh?” 

Nines chuckled.

“My apologies. Please continue, darling”

Gavin shook his head, still slightly confused, but continued.

“Nines, when we-“

“Oh my RA9, yes!!” Nines interrupted yet again, sounding like a giddy child.

“Nines you absolute fucking piece of shit, I swear to every higher power I don’t even fucking believe in that you will be sleeping on the couch for a month if you interrupt me one more goddamned time!”

Nines had the gall to laugh.

“Now you know how it feels!” He stated with that mischievous smirk Gavin secretly adored. Asshole.

He glared at his fiancé but Nines just gave an innocent smile back. He sighed.

“Nines,” He stopped, not trusting his smart-ass partner to refrain from interrupting him again. When Nines showed no signs of evil intent, he continued. “When we were first assigned as partners I thought my life was over.”

“I thought I would never be able to be friendly with a plastic prick like yourself and everyday I had to spend with your fake ass, synth-skin face looking at me would be a living hell.” 

Nines raised his eyebrow, silently asking him to continue.

“However, I was quickly proven wrong and you slowly became the most important person in my life. I still feel bad for being an absolute jackass to you, by the way.” 

Nines chuckled and Gavin felt his nerves start to fade.

“Then you went and almost fucking died and I thought my life was over. Again. I was terrified I’d lost you. That something would go wrong and you’d have your memory wiped or some shit like that.”

Nines gave him a sympathetic look. They’d talked about this before but it was always an emotional subject. He smiled back before continuing.

“But that didn’t happen. You came back, wearing my fucking jacket, and everything finally seemed to click together. Throughout everything, you always come back. You’ve never left me and I’ll never be able to fully express how much that means to me. 

“Oh, and then you had the fucking audacity to claim your asexuality would be a god damn deal breaker! Fucking bullshit.” Gavin appeared absolutely exasperated, rolling his eyes.

Nines laughed even harder at this and Gavin smiled, no longer nervous.

“Anyways, after everything we’ve been through, after everything you've fucking put me through, and after everything I’ve put you through,” he chuckled “Despite all logic, somehow we work. God damn, do we work. 

“So after three years of putting up with your shit, three years of your adorable fucking Ken doll face smirking at me,” He paused to look up at Nines. He admired his carefully designed features, his beautiful blue-gray eyes and soft lips set in one of the widest grins he’s ever seen the android wear. He felt his own smile grow, if that was even possible.

“Three years of falling down this bottomless pit that is my love for you, I want nothing more than to spend every year until the day I die the same way. And so, to wrap this long-ass fucking speech up, will you marry me?”

He opened the small, blue box to reveal a silver ring with intricate swirls of blue gems. Zircon to be exact. He knew it was cheesy to pick Nines’ “birth”stone but he didn’t care. It was more than that. It reminded him of the thirium pumping through his love’s artificial veins as well as his eyes despite the gems lacking any gray hues. Overall, he had just fallen in love with the color blue.

“Oh Gavin, that was perfect!” Nines exclaimed while wiping tears from his eyes. It wasn’t the first time Gavin had seen him cry but it was still awkward. Tears just didn’t look like they belonged on the usually stoic android’s face. Also, Gavin just didn’t know how to handle people crying. He decided to just ignore the tears.

Gavin stood up, taking the ring from its box and gently slid it on the hand Nines enthusiastically offered, synthetic skin retracting. They just stood there for a moment, Nines’ hand in Gavin’s and both staring into eyes filled with love and adoration.

“So, your turn then?” Gavin finally said, ending the moment. He could’ve stayed like that for hours, days, probably forever but he kind of wanted to hear Nines speech. He also kind of really didn’t. Gavin suddenly felt that stupid butterfly feeling in his stomach, similar to anxiety but oh so different. This feeling was resigned for Nines and Nines alone. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to handle the coming speech. Full of endearments and emotion. But it was just Nines, he reminded himself. If he shed some manly tears, no one would judge him.

“You’re not going to interrupt me again, are you?” Nines asked with that familiar smirk.

“Oh, you’re one to talk, asshole!” Nines shook his head as he moved to one knee.

“Alright, alright! Just making sure. Gavin-”

But then Gavin was rushing back into the kitchen, leaving Nines mid-sentence again. He animatedly deflated, sighing as he turned to see what Gavin was doing. “Of fucking course” He muttered.

He watched as Gavin grabbed the glass of water from earlier and moved it into the sink, a fluffy brown cat glaring at him from the counter. It appeared Asshole was just moments away from pushing the glass off the counter before Gavin saw him and quickly acted to prevent such an occurrence

“Goddamn cat” Gavin muttered under his breath as he came back over to Nines.

“I think the universe has it out for us” He deadpanned, silently wondering what else would get in the way of his proposal.

“Jesus, you think?! Anyway, continue.” Gavin was fidgeting with the bottom of his button-up shirt, avoiding eye contact. Apparently Gavin’s anxiety was the next obstacle. He had noticed rising levels of stress since the moment they stepped into the apartment. They had gone down as he had been giving his speech but they appeared to be rising again.

Nines reached up to grab one of Gavin’s hands, effectively stopping his fidgeting. He squeezed gently and smiled. He didn’t need to say anything, they were exceptionally good at non-verbal communication at this point. Gavin took a deep breath before nodding, showing Nines he was actually ready now. Nines nodded back, retracting his hand from Gavin’s to hold the ring box up properly.

“Gavin, you have been a powerful force in my life since the day we met. Admittedly, our relationship started off… rocky but I wouldn’t dare change a thing. I learned so much through you. You’ve helped me become who I am today.”

Nines thought back to the day he first showed up at Gavin’s doorstep. That day was the beginning of their relationship shifting from reluctantly professional to friendly. It still took time for them to get to where they were today but he was exponentially grateful for that night.

“You helped guide me through the beginning of my life when I was a man with zero experiences and zero ideas regarding what I wanted to become. You helped show me what it means to be human.”

He gazed into Gavin’s eyes, those beautiful eyes he had become so accustomed to. He felt a familiar swell of adoration somewhere inside his chest.

“You are truly an extraordinary man, whether you realize it or not. It’s no wonder I began falling for you fast. You and your sarcasm and insults, you and your determination to the point of overworking, you and your little actions that subtly show how much you truly care for those around you. Everything about you enthrals me. Even after three years I still find new things to learn about you everyday.” 

He could see the growing blush form on his fiancé’s cheeks. Gavin never dealt with compliments well but Nines was working to mend that slowly but surely. He was determined to quell Gavin’s insecurity in their relationship one day. No matter how long it took, eventually there would be no doubt in his partner’s mind of his unconditional love.

“At first appearance, we seem so completely far apart and yet once you look closer, you find this deep bond. This extraordinarily powerful bond we have, connecting us even when we’re apart. This metaphysical bond is my most prized possession, I would be completely lost without it.”

He finally opened the small box, revealing the ring inside. It was a simple design as he knew Gavin wouldn’t want anything too extravagant. A silver band with two small diamonds set into it, one silver and the other black.

“Gavin, I love you so very much and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you, if you’ll have me. Will you marry me?”

There was nothing but silence for a few moments but Nines didn’t mind. He was aware the situation was slightly awkward, neither of them quite sure how to appropriately react when they were already engaged. So, he waited patiently as he admired the man standing before him. He relished the overwhelming feeling of love that washed over him. He wasn’t very good with emotions but this was the one feeling he was never unsure of.

“Uhm, thanks? Er… god, I don’t even fucking know! Just put it on my finger and kiss me already!”

Nines chuckled as he stood up, taking Gavin’s hand and slipping the ring on his fourth finger. He saved the image of Gavin’s tomato red face, eyes watery, and giant grin to memory before pulling said face to his.

The kiss was invigorating as they both filled it with all of their emotions. It definitely wasn’t clean, rather sloppy and sticky, mixing both saliva and tears. Neither cared, too overwhelmed with the swirling warm feeling that filled their chests. Eventually though, they had to pull apart so Gavin could breathe.

They stood with their foreheads together, laughing with wide grins, tears still streaming down both of their faces. Nines wasn’t sure why it was so emotional for the both of them, but he figured he’d analyze the entire situation later. For now he just wanted to be fully present with the love of his life.

Gavin took Nines’ left hand to admire their rings next to each other.

“Uhm, they don’t exactly match, do they?” He asked after a few moments.

“No, not particularly. Is this an issue?” His expression shifted from unbridled joy to quizzical. Nines thought both rings were beautiful and he didn’t mind their contrasting appearances but some could say that it took away from the symbolism engagement rings were meant to hold.

“No” Gavin chuckled before moving his gaze back up to Nines’ eyes. “No, I think it’s fitting”

Nines smiled for the umpteenth time that night before capturing Gavin’s lips again. This kiss was much more coordinated, soft and sweet.

Both men were completely content in each other’s arms. Nothing else mattered when they were together and now they had promised to be together forever. Of course obstacles would arise, so much is life, but for now it was just them and their love for each other. 

Nines smiled into the kiss and Gavin did the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh, these boys are so in love! Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed, kudos and comments are always appreciated and never fail make my day. I hope you have a fantabulous day/night, you lovely beans!


End file.
